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Published: April 14th 2008
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And the Tower Leans!
I think you get the gist of this picture. It really was amazing to see in person. What a great day today was. It started out differently, with the fire alarm going off in the hotel. I didn't think anything of it, but it wouldn't stop. I called the front desk and found out that it was a problem in the kitchen. It's one of those things. I didn't imagine there was going to be a fire, but then again, I'm sure no one at the Monte Carlo in Las Vegas thought that either. I made my way to the train station without getting lost, bought my ticket at a machine and headed to Pisa.
At Pisa, I took a taxi to the Campo dei Miracoli, where the Tower is. As cheesy as the Leaning Tower of Pisa may sound, it is actually very impressive. The marble is beautiful and yeah, it leans - a lot. I had purchased my ticket to climb it on the internet back at home, so I traded the coupon in for the ticket, and bought tickets to see the Baptistery and Duomo. Climbing the tower is interesting, because the staircase follows the circular wall of the tower, so the stairs lean as well. As we climbed, we moved from walking on
On top of the Tower
Even as nice as the day was, it was windy up top. Great views though. the left side of the steps to the right side. The marble steps are so worn down, that there are grooves where people walk. The whole effect was similar to walking on a slanted floor in a funhouse. The views were incredible from the lookout ring and the top. It is also incredible that the sun was brightly shining today. I have to say that this was one of my favorite experiences here. Going down was just as interesting as going up. We sloped and wound our way down.
The Duomo was big, churchy, enough said. The Baptistery was also big, plain, but what made it so special is that the acoustics are such that there is an echo. In the book it was said to be a 10 second echo. On the hour, the guard came and sang. With the acoustics, he made a perfect harmony with himself. I took a 45 second video of it. I just keep watching it, awestruck at how it sounds.
I had done my share of Pisa, so took a taxi to the station and caught a train to Lucca, known for being a walled city. The fortifying wall is so
The Baptistery
Oddly enough, this also leans, but in a different direction than the Tower. wide that there is a road on top of it. I walked around the whole town on the wall. The weather was turning very ugly, so I didn't rent a bike, but I thought about it. Lucca is a very pretty little town. I would recommend this one for anyone who is going to be over here. I climbed a tower to the top, where there was a garden with trees. It was while I was up here that the skies opened up and it just poured. I did a little shopping, then caught a train back to Florence.
For dinner tonight, I went to a restaurant on the other side of the river that the leather salesman had told me about. I had the most wonderful risotto with smoked cheese and zucchini. I don't get how these things are considered a first course. This would overflow the white plates we use upstairs for formal dining at the Club. It was easily enough for 4 or 5 people. I ate what I could, but had to save room for my pork chop. The pork was nice, a bit dry, but had a good pan sauce with it, but the
The Wall Around Lucca
This wall is thick enough to have a big road and walking paths on top. It was built this big once cannons were developed. most amazing part was a side dish of white beans tossed in a spicy, chunky tomato ragout with fresh rosemary and large pieces of sage. I have never had beans so good. Ever!!! I ate most of the beans, and left a good portion of the pork. Heck, I can get pork anywhere, but those beans were nirvana. I called Miss Cleo and she told me that her crystal ball showed us serving these beans at the Club. Any thoughts? While walking back to the hotel (and getting miserably lost yet one more time) I had incredible pear and melon gelato. I'm telling you, I am digging this food over here, especially the gelato.
Ok, now I need to load some pictures on here. Thanks for reading if you made it down this far. I am thinking of you all (unless you are a random person who stumbled onto this blog) Take care.
Ciao,
B
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pisa
I don't know about you but when I went to visit the tour of Pisa, it was a lot smaller than I thought it would be... Pretty cool though huh? I'm thinking with all this gelato tasting experience you should write a gelato guide book :) I will volunteer myself and taste all the gelato that is needed for a good book if you need help with it :)